Container



Jan.- 24, 1939. H. .1.v WALLACE 2,144,948

' C-ONT-AI'NER Fi'ied Dec. 16, 1937 Figl,

INVENTOR HAROLD J. WALLACE ATTORNE 5 Patented it... 24, 1939 CONTAINERHarold J. Wallace, Utlca N. Y., assignor to Fonda Container Company,Inc., Utica, N, Y., a corporation of New York Application December 16,1937, Serial No. 180,181 4 Claims. ((1229-45) This invention relates tocontainers having a body-formed of laminations of flbrous material,

such as paper, and adapted for thehandling and distribution of bothsolid and liquid materials. Moreparticularly, the invention is concernedwith a novel container of the type described, in

which the bodyis generally of frusto-conical shape so that a pluralityof the empty containers may be nested together to make a compact packagefor shipping and storage.

Nesting containers as commonly made heretofore have included a body madeeither of a single blank of material wound convolutely or of one or moreblanks wound helically with the edges of adjacent convolutionsoverlapping. Such overlapped edges, present in each form, produceshoulders, both on the inner and outer surfaces of the body, and as aresult, dii'ilculty'is encountered in providing such containers withtight fitting covers. The covers ordinarily used with containers ofthissort either are formed to enclose the end of the container and maketight contact with the outer wall or are discs which are snapped into arecess in the inner wall. In either case, the presence of the shouldersreferred to prevents the cover from iltting snugly and leakage may occuralong the face of each shoulder. In addition, the convolutely woundcontainer has a line of weakness represented by the seam which extendsin a straight line from top to bottom of the body.

The present invention is directed to the provision of a nestingcontainer which overcomes the defects of the prior containers abovereferred the body has no localized line of weakness and cover. Thecontainer body is of frusto-conical shape throughout at least thegreater part of its length, and of substantially uniform thicknessthroughout its circumference. The body is made up of a plurality oflaminations of paper or other suitable fibrous sheet material and eachlamination is a separate blank of' material wound substantiallyhelically withits adjacent edges abutting to define a seam of the samethickness as g the remainder of the laminations. The several laminationsare secured together face to face ness resulting from the seams is thusdistributed circumferentially about the body.

One end of the container body is fitted with a closure permanentlysecured in place and the other end is closed by a removable cover. Acover to and the new container is so constructed that with theirrespective seams oflset and the weak advantageous for the purposecomprises a cylindrical side portion and a circular top securedpermanently in place therein. When such a cover is to be used, thecontainer is formed with acylindrical end section of an outer diametersubstantially equal to the inner diameter of the side portion of thecover, so that the cover will make a frictional lit with the end sectionthroughout the circumference'iof the latter.

It is advantageous to provide the top or a cover of this type with anannular groove adapted to receive the upper edge of the container body.The annular groove in effect forms a valve seat that protects the upperedge of the container stances in the container coming in contactwith itand seeping into the inner porous structure of the paper. The use ofsuch a valve seat also increases the effectiveness with which the bodyis closed by the cover. 1

Although covers substantially as described are particularly well suitedfor use with the new container, covers of other forms also may be em-..ployed, as, for example, the simple disc type commonly used on milkbottles.

The invention may be better understood from' the following descriptionconsidered in connection with the accompanying drawing, in whichFig.3"). is a side view of a container formed in accordance with theinvention, the coverof the container being removed and shown above thedy; v

Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-section through the new container, showingone form of cover in place;

Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-section through a container of modified formhaving a different type of cover;

Fig. 4 is a vertical cross-section through the lower portion of acontainer having an alternative bottom closure; 7

Figs. 5 and 6 are plan views of the blanks from which outer and innerlayers, respectively, of the body of the new container are made; and

, Fig. '1 is a plan view of a composite blank such as may be employed inthe manufacture of the new containen. v

The containers shown include a body l0 which is of frusto-conical shapethroughout at least the greater portion of its length, so as to permitnest- .50

ing together of a plurality of the containers. This is made of aplurality of laminations of suitable fibrous sheet material (e. g.paper), and in the various forms illustrated in the drawing,- an outerlamination II and an inner lamination by about half their length.

N 50 Any suitable bottom closure may be employed l2 are employed. Eachlamination is formed of 'a blank wound substantially helically with itsthe form of a parallelogram with two angles obtuse and two acute. Theblank l4 has .two opposite sides l6 and I1 cut on substantially arcuatelines curving in the same general direction but not having coincidentcenters and these arcuate edges l6 and I1 form, respectively, the lowerand upper edges of the body to be made. The other two opposite edges l8and IQ of blank l4 are cut on substantially straight lines which, ifextended, would intersect one another at an acute angle of, for example,about this angle varying with the degree of taper desired in the body.The sides I 8 and I9 abut when the blank I4 is wound, and the length ofthese sides, measured along the lines on which they are out, should 'beequal.

As a result, the altitude of the blank adjacent the side 18 is slightlyless than the corresponding dimension adjacent the side IS. The blank l5for the inner lamination member is cut substantially the same as theblank l4. and it has two opposite sides 20, 2| cut on substantiallyarcuate lines and other sides 22, 23 cut on straight lines which, ifextended, would intersect at a small angle. The blank i5 is cut to slghtly smaller dimension than the blank l4 so that the blanks when-woundwill fit together tightly.

Various methods may be employed for windizm the blanks to form the body,andin Fig. 7 there is illustrated. development of the blanksv in therelation which they bear to one another in the completed body. As shown,the two blanks lie with their upper and lower arcuate edgessubstantially in alignment and are ofiset lengthwise at the lower end ofthe body and in the containers shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the bottomclosure is a disc-shaped member 24 of paper or other suitable material,having its edge turned downwardly to form a flange 25, the edge of thisflange being turned upwardly to form an inner annular bead 26. The discis inserted in the body and the lower edge of the latter is turnedinwardly and upwardly to form the inner wall 21 of an annular channel 28in which flange 25 and bead 26-of the closure are received. In theoperation of securing the bottom in position, the inner wall 21 may becreased inwardly to form a head 29 which overlies head 26 on the disc 24and this results in the closure being held more securely-in place. Thefree edge '30 of the inner wall 21 of the channel then'lies within anannular recess 3| formed in the closure adjacent the flange 25, where itis. held by the inner wall 32 01' the recess 31.

The modified form 33 of bottom closure, shown in Fig. 4, consists of adisc of paper or other suitable material having a downwardly turnedflange 34 alongits edge. The closure 33 is mounted in the lower end ofthe container body I with the wall 35 ofthe body.

The shape of the upper end of the container depends on the type of coverto be employed. In the container shown in Fig. 2, the cover comprises acylindrical portion 36 and a top 31. To secure the top in position, oneedge 38 of the cylindrical portion is turned inwardly to define achannel 39 and the edge of the top is turned to form an annular flange40 which enters this channel. The outer edge of flange 40 is turned overto form a bead 4|, and the inner wall 38 of the channel 39 may becrimped inwardly to form a bead 42 engaging with the bead The free edge43 of the inner wall 38 enters a circumferential recess 44 formed in top31 near the side portion 36 and is held in place by the inner wall 45 ofthisrecess. In order that covers of the type described may be mounted onbody ID with a tight fit, the body is formed with a short cylindricalend section 46. This section has an outer diameter substantially equalto the inner diameter of the side portion 36 of the cover, so that theside portion makes a close fit with the end section of the body.

For some uses, it maybe desirable to provide the container with a coverwhich prevents the contents from reaching the end edge of the body. Forthis purpose, an annular groove 41 adapted to receive the edge of thebody is formed in the no shoulders or other irregularities ofsubstantiallygreater or less thickness than the average that formcrevices through which liquid materials can pass.

A modified form of cover that may be used with the new containerdescribed is shown in Fig. 3. In this modification, the cover 48 is adisc of paper or other suitable material, and the container body, whichmay have a cylindrical end section or not, as desired, is provided witha circumferential groove '49 in its inner wall near the upper edge. Theinternal diameter of the container body measured across the groove 49 issubstantially equal to the diameter of the cover 48, so that the lattermay be pressed into the upper end of the body until the edge of thecover enters the groove 48, whereupon the cover is held firmly inposition.

I claim:

l. A'containercomprising a body of frustoconical." shape throughout atleast the greater part of its length and of uniform thickness throughoutits circumference, said body comprising laminations of fibrous sheetmaterial, each lamination being formed of a blank wound substantiallyhelically with its edges abutting and defining a seam, the. weaknessresulting from said seam being distributed circumferentially about thebody, and said laminations being secured together face to face withtheir respective seams offset, and a closure secured to said body toclose one end thereof.

2'. A container comprising a body of frustoconical form throughout thegreater part of its length and of uniform thickness throughout itscircumference, said body being made up of laminations of fibrous sheetmaterial, each lamifrom those of the next lamination,-said laminationsbeing secured together face to race to form the body and said bodyhaving one end thereof shaped to form a cylindrical section, and aclosure secured to the body to close the end remote from the cylindricalsection.

3. In a container a body of irusto-conical form throughout at least thegreater part of its length,

said body having smooth inner and outer surfaces and comprisinglaminations of fibrous sheet material, each lamination being formed of ablank wound substantially helically with its edges abutting and defininga seam, the weakness resulting from said seam being distributed circum-3 terentially about the body, said laminationsbeing secured togetherface to face with their respective seams oflset, the body beingiormedowith a circumter'ential channel in its inner wall near its,

larger end.

4. A blank for a, body member oil a container comprising a sheet offibrous material cut generally in the shape of a parallelogram with twoopposite angles obtuse andthe other two opposite angles acute, twoopposite sides of said blank being cut on substantially arcuate linescurving in substantially the same direction, and the other two oppositesides being cut on substantially straight lines which, if extended,would intersect at arelatively small angle.

HAROLD J. WALLACE.

